Steam iron



W. G. SECK May 28, 1957 STEAM IRON 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1955 f'lllIIIIIIlIII/sl v vII/IIIIIII Illlp W. G. SECK May 28, 1957 STEAM IRON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 17, 1955 STEAM IRON Werner G. Seck, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 17, 1955, SerialNo. 488,933

2 Claims. (CI. 38-77) The present invention relates to the flash boiler type electric steam iron and more particularly to a sole. plate assembly therefor in which the heat exchange relationship between the heating element, the flash boiler, and the steam passages leading to the steam emission passages, through the sole plate, are so arranged as to deliver the maximum quantity of heat to the steam as itpasses from the flash boiler to the steam emission openings which pass through the surface of the sole plate.

According to the present invention, a sole plateassem: bly is provided, in which a sheathed type heating element is embedded in the material of the sole plate-and follows generally the contour of the sole plate. Its bight or nexus is positioned adjacent the toe of the iron and its legs extend backwardly along and adjacent to each side of the sole plate and terminate in upwardly extending electrical connections for connection to a thermostatically controlled electrical circuit as is well known in the art.

Specifically, according to the present invention, the flash boiler is positioned adjacent one rear leg of the heating element and means are provided for dripping water onto the hot spot thus formed.

Steam passages are formedin theupper surface of the sole plate assembly for leading steam from the flash boiler to the steam emission ports which extend through the sole plate to deliver steam to the fabric being ironed. In order that the water in the steam is all evaporated to I form superheated steam, the steam passages leading from the flash boiler to the steam emission passages are in intimate heat exchange relationship with the embedded heater.

To that end, water is dripped from a reservoir onto a hot spot or flash boiler adjacent to the rear end of one leg of the embedded heating element. The water is thus flashed into steam, and the steam thus formed is led along the interior of both legs of the embedded heating element and also along the interior of its bight, then led about the rear end of one of the legs of the heating element in heat exchange relationship therewith, then forwardly in heat exchange relationship with the exterior of the heating element to steam emission openings formed in the toe of the iron forwardly of the bight of the heating element.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of an iron, according to the present invention, partly in section, in order to show the details of construction.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the sole plate assembly of the present invention, partly in section, to show the steam flow path about the bight of the heating element.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the sole plate assembly of the present invention taken on line 3--3 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the sole plate assembly of thepresent invention taken on line 4--4 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the referencenumeral 10 generally represents the sole plate of the present invention which is preferably made of cast aluminum. Embedded within the sole plate 10'is a heating element 11. of the sheathed resistance type having a bight 12 adjacent to the toe of thesole plate 10and a pair of legs 13 and 14 extending backwardly along the sides of the sole plate. At the rear endof legs ,13 and 14, the heating element 11 is turned upwardly as 15 and 16 to form electrical'connections for connection to the electrical circuit, aswill later appear, as well as to form areas of concentrated heat energy.

The upper surface of the sole plate 10 is formed with a flashboiler recess 17 adjacent the rear of 'leg 13 of the heating element 11 at a point of high heat concentration caused by the upturnedend 15 of the heating element 11.; The-recess 17 communicates with a steam passage gen-. erally indicated by the reference numeral 18 which extendsforwardly, as at 19, inheat exchange relationship to the inside of leg 13 of the heating element 11, across the inside of the bight 12 of the heating element 11, in heat exchange relationship therewith as at 20, backwardly alongthe inside of leg 14 of the heating element 11 in heat exchange relationship therewith, as at 21;, about the rear end of the leg 14 of the heating element 11 ata point of concentrated heat caused by the upturned end 16 as shown in 22, forwardly along the outside of leg 14: of'the heating element 11 in a heat exchange relationshiptherewith, as at- 23, about the exterior of thebight 12 of the heating element 11, as at 24, and then rearwardly, as at 25, along andin heat exchange relationship with the outside of leg 13 of heating element 11.

The forward ends of passages 23. and 25 and passage 24 are provided with steam emission openings 26 extending-vertically downwardly through the sole plate 10 whereby steam generated in the flash boiler 17 is led to the fabric being ironed.

It is to be noted that steam generated in the flash boiler zone 17 of high heat concentration passes forwardly through passage 19 which is in good heat exchange relationship with the heating element 11, across the bight 20 of the steam passage through another area of high heat concentration, rearwardly through passage 21 in good heat exchange relationship with the inside of the leg 14 of the heating element 11, through the passage 22 subjected to high heat concentration due to the upturned end 16 of the heating element 11, forwardly through passage 23 in good heat exchange relationship with the outside of leg 14 of heating element 11, and finally through the passages 24 and 25 where the steam is still subjected to the super heating effects of the bight 12 of the heating element 11 and downwardly through the openings 26 in the form of super heated steam thus assuring that no water will be ejected-through openings 26 to stain the fabric being ironed.

The flash boiler 17 and the steam passage 18 are closed by a cover plate 30 having an opening 31 immediately above the flash'boiler 17.

The cover plate 30 is secured to the sole plate 11 by screws as shown, whereby it may be easily removed for cleaning lime and other deposits from the steam passages should hard water be used.

Water is supplied to the flash boiler 17 through opening 31 by means of a valve 32 having an outlet opening 33 which communicates with the interior of a reservoir 34 by means of an inlet opening 35 which is adapted to be opened and closed by a valve stem 36 attached to the valve 32 by means of a flexible bellows 37 normally biased to hold the valve in open position by a spring 38 attached to the stem 36 by an actuator 39 and anchored at its rear end by a bracket 40 secured to the interior rear end of a cover shell 41 which encloses the sole plate assembly and the reservoir 34.

The actuator 39 is slidably mounted to the top of the cover shell 41 by. a pin with slot connection 42 and includes an actuating arm 43 which cooperates with a cam surface 44 on atemperature control dial 45 which is rotatably mounted on the top of the cover shell 41. The dial 45 is connected to an adjustable thermostat 46 by a driving connection 47 by which the temperature setting of the sole plate may be adjusted.

The camsurface 44 of dial 45 coacts with the actuator arm 43 to open valve 32 when the dial 45 is turned to its steam setting. That feature forms no part of the present invention and need not he further described herein since it is known in the art. i

A handle 50 is provided for manual manipulation of the iron and is attached by any suitable means to the rear end of the cover shell 41.

The invention of this case is concerned only with the construction of the sole plate assembly, including the location of the flash boiler and the steam passages leading to the steam emission openings located outside of the bight of the heating element 11.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention provides a sole plate arrangement for a steam iron in which the flash boiler and steam passages are so arranged as to provide the maximum heat exchange relationship between the steam flowing through those passages to the steam emission openings, whereby only super heated steam may flow through the steam emission openings under any condition of use.

While I have shown and described but a single embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that that embodiment is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the specific structure shown and described, but wish to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A sole plate assembly comprising a sole plate, a U- shaped heating element associated therewith, said heating 2,793,449 V A it 4 element having a bight portion adjacent the toe of said sole plate and a pair of legs extending rearwardly therefrom along the sides of said sole plate, a flash boiler formed in said sole plate on the inside of one leg of said heating element adjacent the rear of said sole plate, steam emission openings extending through said sole plate forwardly of the bight of said heating element and a steam passage formed in said sole plate and connecting said flash boiler to said steam emission openings, the Walls of said passage being in heat exchange relationship with the sides of said heating element along its entire length and leading forwardly from said flash boiler along the interior of one leg of said heating element, across the interior of the bight of said heating element, backwardly along the interior of the other leg of said heating element, about the rear end of said other leg and then forwardly along the outside of said other leg to said steam emission openings.

2. In a steam iron, a sole plate, a U-shaped heating element embedded in said sole plate having its bight at the toe of said sole plate, and its legs extending backwardly along the sides thereof, steam passageways formed in the upper surface of said sole plate including a flash boiler, steam emission openings extending through said sole plate and a passageway connecting said flash boiler with said steam emission openings, said flash boiler being located at the rear end of one of the legs of said heating element in heat exchange relationship with the sides thereof and said passageway extending forwardly and then rearwardly along one side of said heating element, about the rear end of the other leg of said heating element, and then forwardly along the outer side of said other leg the walls of said passageway being in heat exchange relationship with the sides of said heating element, and communicating with said steam emission openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,316,907 Wallace Apr. 20, 1943 2,353,604 Waring et al. July 11, 1944 2,588,698 Butcher Mar. 11, 1952 2,637,126 Fitzsimmons May 5, 1953 2,724,198 Vance Nov. 22, 1955 

